Tua Tagovailoa, the quarterback for the Miami Dolphins, was rushed to a nearby hospital after suffering head and neck injuries during a sack in the second quarter of Thursday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
When Bengals nose tackle Josh Tupou sacked Tagovailoa, he struck the back of his head on the ground and his arms instantly looked to lock up. Before being placed on a stretcher and hauled away, he was on the field for nearly 10 minutes.
The University of Cincinnati Medical Center hospital reported that he was conscious and moving all of his extremities just before halftime. After the game, they stated that Tagovailoa was anticipated to leave the hospital Thursday night and return with the team to Miami.
“I could tell it wasn’t the same guy that I was used to seeing,” McDaniel said. “It was a scary moment. He was evaluated for a concussion. He’s in the concussion protocol, but he’s being discharged.
“It’s an emotional moment. It’s not a part of the deal you sign up for. His teammates and myself were very concerned, but he got checked out and it’s nothing more serious than a concussion.”
As Tagovailoa was removed from the game, the whole Dolphins team gathered at midfield as the crowd screamed, “Tua! Tua!”
At halftime of Sunday’s victory over the Buffalo Bills, Tagovailoa underwent concussion testing after hitting his head on the turf and stumbling as he attempted to go back to the huddle. He was initially listed by the team as questionable to return due to a head injury; however, they later clarified that the cause of his stumble was actually a back injury. Later in the week, Tagovailoa said that he had passed all of the assessments he had had in order to be cleared to play again.
Following Tagovailoa’s prompt return to play, the NFL Players Association asked the league to reevaluate its concussion policies.
After Sunday’s game, when asked if he was absolutely positive that Tagovailoa was not concussed, McDaniel responded in the affirmative and mentioned that Tagovailoa had been given the all-clear by a different neurologist.
“Player health and safety is at the core of the union’s mission. Our concern tonight is for Tua and we hope for a full and speedy recovery. Our investigation into the potential protocol violation is ongoing,” the NFLPA said in a statement after Tagovailoa was hurt Thursday night.
